O.M.G.

[walton_eats]

It's that time of the year, again, when I start finding ways to use up the leftover holiday food.

Actually, it's past that time, but I just spent four days chasing floods, and had the presence of mind to stick most of the leftovers in the freezer so I'd still *have* them to use up.

So, I had some Prime rib roast and some fantastic gravy from one of the holiday feasts languishing in the freezer and it called to me today, simply *called* to me.

I'm only sorry I didn't take any pictures, but, honestly, I just spent the last couple of days processing and uploading photographs. Maybe next time, when I try the Skillet Chicken Pot Pie (my heavens, I love http://www.cooksillustrated.com), I'll take pictures.

Anyway, what I made for dinner tonight.

Leftover Roast Beef Pot Pie

Pie Dough
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
3-4 tablespoons ice-water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water (egg wash)

Filling
1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-1/2 lbs leftover roast beef, cubed
2-1/2 cups leftover beef gravy (or Knorr-Swiss brown gravy, prepared, or jarred beef gravy, but homemade is much the best)
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced in rounds
salt and black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons dry sherry
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Pie Dough:
Mix flour and salt in workbowl of food processor fitted with the steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with a little of the flour. Cut butter into flour with five one-second pulses. Add shortening; continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, keeping some butter bits the size of small peas, about four more one-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice-cold water over the mixture. Using rubber spatula, fold water into flour mixture. Then press down on dough mixture with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more cold water if dough will not come together. Shape dough into ball, then flatten into 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes while preparing pie filling.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Filling:
Mix cubed roast beef and gravy in large pot. Saute onion, celery and carrot in a pan in vegetable oil for about five minutes, until onion is translucent. Add vegetables to gravy and meat mixture. Heat until gravy simmers and add sherry; simmer for a minute or two more. Salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped parsley. Remove from heat.

Assemble the pie:
Roll dough on floured surface to approximate 15-by-11-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Pour beef mixture into 13-by-9-inch pan. Lay dough over filling, trimming to 1/2 inch of pan lip. Tuck overhanging dough back under itself so folded edge is flush with lip. Flute edges all around. Cut at least four 1-inch vent holes. Brush with egg wash.

Bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

x-posted to food_porn and food_porn